How Are Private Job Interviews Different From Government Job Interviews

Private jobs allow you to expand your network, see a quick rise in position and pay more if you are good while government jobs have a fixed set of years and the hike depends on the pay commission.

However, while both stand together as the backbone of the Indian economy, their hiring process is very different.

The differences between the two, however, is not just limited to the pay scale, growth structure, work culture, and hiring process. You’d be perplexed to know that even the interview sessions/process in the two departments is significantly different.

Let’s see how exactly;

Focus on what you can do

In private job interviews, the focus is mainly on what you can do for the company and how you can take them to new heights. The recruiter wants to see you as a problem solver and while your experience in the past holds a lot of importance, the focus is on the future.

If you are willing to go out of your way to contribute to the company then you are a perfect fit.

With government job interviews, that is not so. Here the focus is mainly on the years of experience you have in a specific industry and a little bit of push comes from the achievements you attained during your tenure.

Less attention to your score

Most government jobs have a set criterion on how much minimum marks the candidate should have scored to make it through the initial round. Recruiters also pay a lot of attention to your marks during government job interviews.

On the contrary, the focus in private job interviews is more on

the internships you have done in the past,

the projects you undertook and

the extra-curricular activities you were involved in,

rather than how much you scored in college or school.

Add-on certificates to the rescue

Private job interviews are more skill based. If you have add-on certificates like the AMCAT certificate to add to your profile, then that can help you immensely. It can pitch you above your competitors.

However, earning a certificate is not enough, you actually need to work on your core skills and be ready to answer questions related to it.

A certificate can only help you so far as getting an interview offer, from there, you need to prove yourself by continuously working and trying to improve your existing skills.

For government job interviews, while the add-on certificates matter, they are not considered really important. As long as you fill in all the criteria specified in the job description and know how to answer questions related to them, you are sorted.

More questions based on your aptitude

Private job interviews rely heavily on brain teasers and questions meant to test your aptitude. Also, most private companies want people who can work effectively in a team and have great interpersonal as well as people’s skills.

Government interviews go easy on candidates on this front as the questions are mainly related to their work and profile.

However, both government job interviews and private interviews have one thing in common, and that is, they rate candidates on how they carry themselves and answer the questions.

It is one thing to know all the answers but a completely different task to know how to answer those questions effectively.

If your body language says that you are not confident enough, then it is highly likely that the interviewer/s would pass over you and select someone else. A confident body language and a winning smile and can really turn things in your favour.

Also, you need to dress up for the job. A pair of neat formals is preferred by recruiters over any cool and funky outfit.

Also, try to avoid loud colours and do your research before going for the interview. It doesn’t matter whether it is a private job interview or a government interview, you should know the job description in and out so that you can formulate your answers accordingly and pitch yourself as an ideal candidate.

Apart from that, you should also know what you have written in your job resume. So, read your job resume carefully before the interview and keep extra copies of it handy.

To understand more on how to conduct yourself during any job interview and to avoid the interview jitters, you can check out our interview tips section.

And, to learn about your shortcomings and know how to overcome them, you can be a part of Mock-AI and give mock interviews to perfect yourself.

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